Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
3-7 , 1-6
Illinois
5-5 , 3-4
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | OT | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 7 | 20 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 45 |
| Illinois | 9 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 48 |
Overtime Unkind at Illinois
11/11/2023 4:32:00 PM | Football
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Indiana found its offense Saturday afternoon at Illinois.
It wasn't enough.
IU scored 15 points on its final two possessions in regulation to force overtime.
It wasn't enough in a 48-45 overtime defeat.
The loss ended IU's bowl hopes. The Hoosiers (3-7) will finish with next Saturday's home game against Michigan State and a road trip to Purdue.
"This was one we had to have for the postseason," coach Tom Allen said on his post-game radio show. "It really hurts."
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, including the tying score with 22 seconds left. He also rushed for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
"He continues get better every week," Allen said on the radio show. "He showed toughness on some key runs and had some high-quality throws when we needed it most. He's going to be a special one."
Receiver Donaven McCulley caught 11 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
The Hoosiers set Big Ten season highs for points and total yards (451).
Safety Louis Moore led IU with 10 tackles and an interception.
"It's very frustrating," Allen told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer on the radio show. "The defense let us down. Let's be honest.
"The offense did a lot of great things. Turning it over in the second half hurt us. Those were two drives that should have given us points.
"We didn't do a good enough job defensively from start to finish, so very disappointing."
Illinois quarterback, John Paddock threw for 507 yards and four touchdowns. The Illini had 662 total yards.
"We couldn't get to him," Allen told Fischer. "They were getting the ball out quick and max protecting. That made it difficult. We were having difficulties with man coverage and tried to play zone. We were mixing it up and trying different things. We didn't get the job done."
Both teams started with three and outs. On its second possession, Illinois drove inside the IU 5-yard line before settling for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
The Hoosiers capitalized on linebacker Jared Casey's recovery of an Illinois fumbled punt with running back Trent Howland's 1-yard power TD run late in the first quarter for a 7-3 lead.
The Illini needed less than a minute to score a touchdown for a 9-7 lead after a missed extra point.
Sorsby responded with completions of 41, seven and 13 yards. Running back Josh Henderson followed with a powerful 10-yard run before Sorsby's six-yard TD pass to McCulley put IU ahead early in the second quarter.
An Illinois field goal cut the lead to two points. IU came back with a second Sorsby-to-McCulley touchdown pass for a 21-12 score.
Moore's interception set up a chance for Sorsby to thrive by pass (converting a first-and-20 situation) and by run (that 18-yard, tackle-busting TD) for a 27-12 lead.
The Illini ended the half with a pair of touchdowns for a 27-26 score. A 42-yard, third-quarter touchdown pass gave them a 33-27 lead. A fourth-quarter run made it 39-27.
Gut check time.
Sorsby's tackle-busting 5-yard touchdown run cut the lead to five with 12 minutes left. Illinois responded with a field goal for a 42-34 score with five minutes left.
A huge Aaron Casey third-down tackle gave Indiana a final chance. With just over two minutes remaining, IU delivered an 85-yard tying touchdown drive. Sorsby's 26-yard scoring pass to receiver DeQuece Carter was followed by his conversion toss to receiver E.J. Williams Jr.
Overtime.
Chris Freeman's 41-yard field goal gave the Hoosiers a three-point lead. Illinois won it on a third-down touchdown pass.
"Right now, we're hurting pretty bad," Allen told Fischer, "but we'll get this team back competing and get ready to win two trophy games."
Team Stats
IND 0, ILL 3
ILL - Griffin,Caleb 24 yd field goal 10 plays, 71 yards, TOP 04:16
IND 7, ILL 3
IND - Howland,Trent 1 yd run (Freeman,Chris kick), 9 plays, 32 yards, TOP 03:40
IND 7, ILL 9
ILL - Love III,Reggie 8 yd run (), 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:35
IND 14, ILL 9
IND - McCulley,Donaven 6 yd pass from Sorsby,Brendan (Freeman,Chris kick) 7 plays, 74 yards, TOP 03:41
IND 14, ILL 12
ILL - Griffin,Caleb 27 yd field goal 7 plays, 64 yards, TOP 03:03
IND 21, ILL 12
IND - McCulley,Donaven 6 yd pass from Sorsby,Brendan (Freeman,Chris kick) 6 plays, 69 yards, TOP 02:52
IND 27, ILL 12
IND - Sorsby,Brendan 18 yd run (), 4 plays, 52 yards, TOP 02:01
IND 27, ILL 19
ILL - Washington,Casey 20 yd pass from Paddock,John (Griffin,Caleb kick) 5 plays, 92 yards, TOP 02:28
IND 27, ILL 26
ILL - Bryant,Pat 13 yd pass from Paddock,John (Griffin,Caleb kick) 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 01:14
IND 27, ILL 33
ILL - Williams,Isaiah 42 yd pass from Paddock,John (Griffin,Caleb kick) 5 plays, 86 yards, TOP 02:00
IND 27, ILL 39
ILL - Love III,Reggie 37 yd run (), 7 plays, 81 yards, TOP 03:32
IND 34, ILL 39
IND - Sorsby,Brendan 5 yd run (Freeman,Chris kick), 6 plays, 52 yards, TOP 02:17
IND 34, ILL 42
ILL - Griffin,Caleb 21 yd field goal 14 plays, 72 yards, TOP 07:21
IND 42, ILL 42
IND - Carter,Dequece 26 yd pass from Sorsby,Brendan (Williams,E.J. pass) 6 plays, 85 yards, TOP 01:09
IND 45, ILL 42
IND - Freeman,Chris 41 yd field goal 4 plays, 2 yards, TOP 00:00
IND 45, ILL 48
ILL - Williams,Isaiah 21 yd pass from Paddock,John () 3 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
